■FOOTBALL
Facility collapse probed
US government investigators began sorting through the Dallas Cowboys’ flattened practice facility in Irving, Texas, on Monday, trying to figure out why fierce winds sent the tentlike structure crashing down during a rookie workout session. Twelve people were hurt. Records obtained by reporters show the city of Irving granted the Cowboys’ request to replace the fabric roof last year, five years after the structure was built. The team listed itself as the contractor for the roof replacement, but Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple said the team would not comment about the work. The records do not show the Cowboys sought an inspection of the facility after replacing the roof, although city code requires it, according to Gary Miller, Irving’s director of planning and inspections.
■CRICKET
Strauss player of the year
England captain Andrew Strauss, 32, was named as the team’s player of the year for 2008-2009 by sponsors Vodafone on Monday. The award, given to the opening batsman just two days before he leads England into the first Test against the West Indies at his Lord’s home ground, was a reward for some heavy run-scoring by the Middlesex left-hander. Claire Taylor won the corresponding award for the England women’s team.
■BASEBALL
Player’s mom in drugs bust
The mother of New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain was jailed in Nebraska and facing a felony charge after being arrested on suspicion of selling methamphetamine to an undercover police officer in February. Lincoln Police Captain David Beggs said Monday that 44-year-old Jacqueline Standley was arrested at her apartment on Saturday night. Beggs said she allegedly sold 1 gram of a substance believed to be meth to an uncover officer for US$110 on Feb. 11. The substance tested positive for meth in testing at the state laboratory. She was charged on Monday with delivery of an exceptionally hazardous drug. Her bail was set at US$5,000, and she was assigned a public defender. Chamberlain found out about the arrest after arriving at Yankee Stadium on Monday night. He said he hadn’t spoken with her in a while. “You’ve only got one mom, man, and you’ve got to be thankful for her,” he said. “I still love her.”
■RUGBY UNION
Kockott ‘slapped’ with ban
Coastal Sharks scrum-half Rory Kockott has been suspended for one week and will miss a crucial Super 14 fixture against the New South Wales Waratahs in Durban on Saturday. Kockott, second-highest scorer in the southern hemisphere championship this season with 110 points, pleaded guilty to slapping flanker Adam Thomson from visiting New Zealand side Otago Highlanders at the weekend. The incident four minutes from full-time had a comical edge as diminutive Kockott floored much taller and stronger Thomson with a strike to the face and South African referee Phillip Bosch raised a red card. A lawyer representing Kockott on Monday at the Durban hearing argued the sending off was sufficient punishment, but the judicial officer deemed the action reckless and imposed a ban. The suspension means Sharks’ New Zealand coach John Plumtree cannot field his first-choice half-back partnership just one week after fly-half Ruan Pienaar returned following a lengthy injury absence. Sharks, runners-up to the Northern Bulls two seasons ago, lie fourth and Waratahs fifth, three points behind with two rounds to go and nine franchises in a scramble for semi-finals places.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
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